They began as a rock and roll freakbeat band called The Spectres. By 1967, with very little commercial success, they discovered psychedelia and changed their name to Traffic (later Traffic Jam, to avoid confusion with Steve Winwood's Traffic.) At this time the line-up also included organist Roy Lynes and drummer John Coghlan. Late in 1967 they recruited second guitarist Rick Parfitt and became The Status Quo, scoring Top 10 singles with Pictures Of Matchstick Men and Ice in The Sun. "Pictures of Matchstick Men" remains the only Top 40 hit single the group has ever charted in the United States. They have never achieved the same level of success there, that they have enjoyed in their home country.
After their second album Spare Parts they decided to change into a heavy boogie rock band. During the seventies they became one of the UK's leading rock bands, gaining a faithful following due to their excellent live gigs. They showed a great amount of energy during this decade and in the early 80s. They and are best known for songs from this era such as Paper Plane (1972), Caroline (1973), Down Down (1975), John Fogerty's Rockin' All Over The World (1977) and Whatever You Want (1979). Down Down topped the UK charts in January 1975 (their only British No. 1 single to date).
Lynes left in 1971, to be replaced initially by guest keyboard players on album, including Jimmy Horowitz and John Parker, and later on a more permanent basis on record and stage by ex-The Herd and Judas Jump member Andy Bown, though as he was contracted as a solo artist with EMI, he was not credited as a full-time member until 1982. Coghlan left in late 1981, to be replaced by Pete Kircher from 1960s band Honeybus. This short-lived lineup played its last gig in 1984 at the Milton Keynes Bowl, and reformed briefly to open the Live Aid charity event at Wembley in July 1985.
That year Rossi recorded and released two solo singles with longtime writing partner Bernie Frost. Parfitt was also working on a solo album which is still unreleased, although some tracks have been re-recorded by Status Quo and released as 'B' sides. Bass player John Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich, both ex-Judie Tzuke Band and Climax Blues Band, assisted Parfitt in the studio.
In the summer of 1985 Rossi, Parfitt and Bown, along with Edwards and Rich started work on a new album. Lancaster, who was living in Australia at the time, took out a legal injunction to stop the band using the Status Quo name on any records. The injunction was lifted after a court hearing in January 1986. Lancaster had had increasing musical differences with the group, notably during the sessions for the 1983 album Back to Back over two tracks which became hit singles for the group around that time. He had written Ol' Rag Blues, but was angered when the producers chose to release a version with Rossi singing lead vocal in preference to the one sung by himself, and he objected to Marguerita Time, which he thought unduly corny and too pop-oriented for them. He remained in Australia, forming a band called Party Boys, who had no success in Britain.
The commercially successful In The Army Now album was released in 1986, and the band continues to this day with the revised personnel. Rich left in 2000 and was replaced by Matthew Letley. Andrew Bown took a year off at the same time for family reasons and was replaced on stage by Paul Hirsh, formerly of Voyager.
According to Songfacts.com, Quo's 29th studio album, Quid Pro Quo, was released in a deluxe format exclusively at Tesco on 30 May 2011. The regular edition was released elsewhere a week later on 7th June. The LP debuted at #10 in the UK charts, the band's best chart placing for an original album since Don't Stop peaked at #2 in 1996.
Although Quo still release new material every few years, recent years have seen them release a series of greatest hits compilations and covers albums. One of the band's most recent original albums, Heavy Traffic, shows a return to classic form not seen since the late 1970s.
Status Quo have often been characterized, perhaps unfairly, as producing very simple songs, always in the same format: 4/4 rhythm, three chord structure. However, the recordings from their first decade demonstrate a diversity in musical style and complexity to rival most of the late 60s UK bands, and several of their singles and album tracks from later show considerable subtlety, not least the mainly acoustic 1979 single Living On An Island, and the 1980 album track, later a single, Rock'n'Roll, which is ironically one of the least rock'n'roll-like songs they have ever recorded.
They have a loyal group of fans in the United Kingdom, where they have enjoyed more hits than any other group in rock and roll history (over 60 as of mid-2005), as well as a big following in Europe, notably in The Netherlands.
In September 2005 a contestant on the long-running BBC television quiz programme Mastermind chose Status Quo as his specialist subject. That same year they took part in the long running ITV soap opera Coronation Street in a storyline which involved them being sued by the layabout Les Battersby.
In December 2005 it was announced that Parfitt was undergoing tests for throat cancer. All subsequent dates of the UK tour were cancelled as a result. However on 20th December it was further announced that the growths found in Parfitt's throat were benign and had been removed.
Quo have even been the subject of a Doctoral Thesis, purporting to demonstrate that their music composition skills could be favourably compared to the likes of the classical music composers, such as Beethoven!
In Autumn 2008 German techno legend Scooter released new single Jump that rock together with Status Quo.
On 1 February 2016, it was officially announced that Status Quo, in addition to the spring and summer dates already scheduled, would tour Europe starting in October. The final dates would take place in the UK towards the end of the year, after which the group would retire from playing 'electric' tours.
On 28 October 2016, Rick Parfitt permanently retired from live performances after suffering a heart attack earlier the same year. On 24 December 2017, he died in hospital in Marbella, Spain as a result of severe infection, after suffering an injury to his shoulder. Parfitt's funeral was held at Woking Crematorium on 19 January 2017. Irish guitarist Richie Malone, who had substituted for Parfitt during some 2016 live shows, took his place on rhythm guitar.
Let Me Fly
Status Quo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't find anyway
So long since I lost my way
I've got a feeling
You're gonna run away one day
Why does it always seem to be me
Chorus:
Let me fly like a bird in the sky
Let me fly-y-y away
I wanna climb really high
All the time in the sky
Wanna stay up there all the day
So let me fly
Let me fly like a bird in the sky
Let me fly
Getting away
So after today
Let me fly away
You say you're alright
You don't care anyway
I'm listening you're trying to say
You think I'm crazy
You're thinking you got everything right
But you're fooling no one else but yourself
Chorus:
If you get lonely
And can't get along by yourself
If you're finding
You're needing me
Don't wait forever
For to come a following you
I'll wait here you come back by yourself
And we can fly
We can fly like a bird in the sky
We can fly-y-y away
We wanna climb really high
All the time in the sky
Wanna stay up there all the day
So let me fly
Let me fly like a bird in the sky
Let me fly
Getting away
So after today
Let me fly fly fly away
The lyrics to Status Quo's song "Let Me Fly" embody a theme of desperation and a longing for freedom, both emotional and physical. The first verse speaks of loneliness and confusion that leads to a feeling of being lost. The singer is fearful that the person they care about, who is currently present, may betray them and leave them alone once again. The chorus is a passionate plea for release, a chance to soar away from the pain and difficulties of everyday life, to a place where the sky is the limit.
The second verse finds the singer trying to connect with their significant other, to share their struggles, and to seek their support. However, the other person is dismissive and accusatory, seeing the singer as erratic and out of touch with reality. This leaves the singer feeling even more alone and misunderstood.
The final verse, however, offers hope. The singer reassures their partner that they will wait for them, and that they will return when they are ready. The chorus is then repeated as a hopeful promise, not just of escape but of a shared experience of freedom, where both people can fly together. The song ends with a sense of optimism and anticipation, as if the singer feels that their struggles, and those of their partner, are temporary obstacles that will be overcome, and that they will soon be able to take flight into a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been so lonely
I have been feeling isolated and lacking companionship
I can't find anyway
I am struggling to find a solution to my problems
So long since I lost my way
It has been a considerable amount of time since I have not known what to do with my life
I've got a feeling
I have a sense of intuition
You're gonna run away one day
I believe that you will leave me someday
Why does it always seem to be me
I often feel like I am the victim of my circumstances
Chorus: So let me fly
I want the freedom to do what I please
Let me fly like a bird in the sky
I want to experience a sense of liberation and joy, like a bird soaring through the air
Let me fly-y-y away
I want to escape my problems and explore new horizons
I wanna climb really high
I want to achieve great heights and explore new perspectives
All the time in the sky
I want to be able to spend as much time as I want above the ground
Wanna stay up there all the day
I want to spend all my time flying, never coming back down to the earth
Getting away
Going away from everything that is not making me happy
So after today
Starting from tomorrow on
You say you're alright
You claim to be alright despite what I have said
You don't care anyway
You seem indifferent to my problems or how I feel
I'm listening you're trying to say
I am trying to understand what you are saying
You think I'm crazy
You believe I am irrational or illogical
You're thinking you got everything right
You believe that you have all the answers and that I need to listen to you
But you're fooling no one else but yourself
In reality, you are not convincing anyone but yourself with your words
If you get lonely
In the case where you feel isolated and alone
And can't get along by yourself
And find it difficult to cope on your own
If you're finding
If you discover or realize
You're needing me
You require my assistance or support
Don't wait forever
Do not wait an indefinite amount of time
For to come a following you
For me to come after you
I'll wait here you come back by yourself
I will be waiting here for you to return on your own terms
And we can fly
We can experience the joy of freedom together
We can fly like a bird in the sky
We can both explore new perspectives and feel liberated
Let me fly
Allow me to experience the freedom to explore and escape
Let me fly fly fly away
Let me experience the sensation of soaring through the air and escaping from my troubles
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BERNARD FROST, FRANCIS ROSSI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Martin Dalton
One of their greatest songs ever, so singable and quo all the way
Mark Hazell
Another totally awesome song from Quo!
veli pekka Niinimaki
every Quo song is brilliant...:)
Siogo
Brillant song! :-)
Gordon Weir
Love this
Shaun Kelly
The last half-way decent album they ever did.
pat scanlan
3 cheers for the quo..
ASEN
let me fly fly away. ♫
Moby Whale
Brilliant guitar lick
Beatrice Beatrice
Let me fly along with you ,QUO